Coal mine blast kills 41 in N. Türkiye, authorities vow probes

ANKARA -- The Death toll in an underground coal mine explosion in northern Türkiye rose to 41, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday in the Bartin province, where the blast took place a day earlier.

The explosion occurred 300 meters below ground at 6:15 p.m. local time (1515 GMT) on Friday at the Amasra Hard Coal Enterprise, trapping 110 workers, 58 of whom later managed to get out on their own, and 11 others were injured and hospitalized, state and local officials said.

Arriving at the scene in the town of Amasra, Erdogan vowed to "exert our best effort" to put the history of mining accidents to an end.

He told reporters that administrative and judicial authorities will investigate the incident to reveal what caused the explosion and who, if anyone, is responsible.

Preliminary findings indicated that the blast was likely caused by firedamp, said Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez.

In 2014, as many as 301 people died in Türkiye's worst mine disaster in a fire inside a coal mine in Soma town of western Manisa province.